The pueblos blancos — the white hill towns of Andalucia — and the landscapes surrounding them are among the most spectacular sights in southern Spain. They lie within the triangle formed by the Atlantic coast (the Costa de la Luz) and the Mediterranean (the Costa del Sol) to the south and the Sierra de Algodonales to the north.
Renting a car and driving through the green, rolling hills to explore the villages is a wonderful experience. Grouped beneath ancient castles and churches, the towns are filled with friendly people and excellent restaurants. Vejer de la Frontera near the Costa de la Luz and Arcos de la Frontera (30 km east of Jerez) are among the finest. Arcos is particularly well set up for visitors, with a lovely parador in a former castle overlooking a gorge.
The area between Malaga, Algeciras and Seville is dotted with brilliantly whitewashed settlements. Ronda is an excellent base, central to the superb countryside and close to most of the white towns, its Puente Nuevo bridge spanning a 120-metre gorge in the heart of the city. The road from Algeciras via Gaucin is the most impressive approach — one white town visible from the next as you turn on the winding road. This dramatic route can be walked in four or five days, with plenty of villages at which to stop, eat and rest. Setenil de las Bodegas, where houses are built directly into rock overhangs, is unlike any other village in Spain.
